Characterization of cassava production in the Igarapé-Açu community, Capitão Poço, Pará, Brazil
Samara Ketely Almeida de Sousa1*, Helen Patrícia Moreira Negrão1, Letícia do Socorro Cunha2, Thiago Feliph Silva Fernandes3, Júlia Karoline Rodrigues das Mercês3, Wanderson Cunha Pereira4, Edmilson Barbosa do Nascimento1, Marlon Sheldon da Silva Galdino1 and Amanda Catarine Ribeiro da Silva1
1 Federal Rural University of the Amazon, Capitão Poço, PA, Brazil
2 State University of Western Paraná, Marechal Cândido Rondon, PR, Brazil
3 Paulista State University Júlio Mesquita de Filho, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
4 Federal University of Pará, Bragança, PA, Brazil
Abstract
The objective was to characterize the cultivation of cassava by rural producers in the Igarapé-Açu community, in the municipality of Capitão Poço, Pará, Brazil. The research involved quali-quantitative methods. For this purpose, 45 semi-structured questionnaires were applied, which included all the cassava flour producers in the Vila, in order to obtain information about the cassava and cassava flour production system, such as: size of the cultivation area, varieties used, labor used and ways of preparing the soil for cultivation. Most respondents are small farmers with an area of less than 5 ha. The cassava variety most cultivated by farmers in the village of Igarapé-Açu is mullet and about 56% of producers use exclusively family labor. As for the preparation of the soil, 40% of the interviewees perform the felling and burning. This form of tillage predominates due to the absence of technologies and causes the soil to be degraded more quickly.
Highlighted Conclusions
1. The predominant farming areas characterize family farming.
2. Producers prefer to use the mullet variety because it is easy to adapt to the region.
3. Soil preparation is still incipient in terms of the technologies used for conservationw.
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